Many people are surprised to learn that there are many African dishes that are different from what they expect when they think of African cuisine. Traditionally, African cuisine used to be centered on rice, legumes and fish, and was marked by the absence of meat and dairy products. As this ...
Evolution of African Food and Beverage
When thinking about African food and beverage, you should keep in mind that these foods and beverages were prevalent before the colonizers arrived on the scene. As has been written, Africa was a major agricultural development zone hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans. As such, it is impossible ...
African Traditional Dishes
African traditional dishes include a large variety of dishes that are influenced by Africa. The very nature of African food means that it is eclectic and multicultural because it originates from many regions and is made up of many different cultures, tribes and ethnic groups. The diversity is both a ...
African History & Literature
African history is a very important part of world history. One can study African history and African literature to understand the complexity of African history. African history covers more than 50 years (ca. 4000 B.C to A.D. 1500) and African history cultures are numerous, but there are five that have ...
The Horn of Africa – Somali
SOMALI The land of the Somalis consists of arid plains and plateaus, barren rugged mountains, and two main rivers under a harsh, hot and dry climate. The Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, Ethiopia, and Kenya bound this area – the Horn of Africa. Archeological evidence indicates that the Somali ...
Domestic Life in Africa
Cookery methods rather than basic foods are what distinguish regional and ethnic dishes in Africa. Foods may be cooked over open fires or in pits heated with stones; either of these methods may be used indoors or outdoors. Commonly used cookery utensils include: perforated clay steamers, jugs and jars for ...
African Meals and Customs
MEALS AND CUSTOMS The majority of rural Africans customarily eat one main meal a day and this is usually the evening meal. Upon arising, coffee, tea or milk or curds may form a small light meal while some people may be content to nibble on seeds. Throughout the day snacks ...
Foods Commonly Used in Africa
Although there are many ethnic groups in Africa, it is possible to make some generalizations about foods and food customs. In some areas, different names may be used but it is generally conceded that the principal African staple is a starchy mixture called fufu in western regions and ugali in ...
African Food Glossary
GLOSSARY OF FOODS AND FOOD TERMS Akara: popular breakfast dish made from mashed black-eyed peas seasoned with salt, pepper, and onion then deep-fried. Akassa: Ghanian porridge made from corn flour and hot water. Anu Ofia: term used for fresh meat from any forest animal. The meat is prepared by first ...
Special Occasions in Africa
SPECIAL OCCASIONS For the most part, Africans are part of a pastoral society and though many adhere to Christianity or Islam, they still, to a greater or lesser degree, retain elements of totemism and animism, and many of their special occasions revolve around the seasons, planting, and harvesting as well ...
Foods in Africa
DAIRY PRODUCTS Cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and sheep’s milk, taken plain or soured or in the form of curds and whey, are used as available. Most often they are used for infants and young children as part of soups, gruels, and puddings. The Masai herdsmen are known to drink a ...
East Africa
EAST AFRICAN Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique are five countries within the region known as East Africa. It is a region where strong British influence is still felt although few British or East Indians remain. Like West Africa, the vast expanses of land are inhabited by hundreds of differing peoples, ...
South African
SOUTH AFRICA While the West African nations combine the most sophisticated of European, New World, and their own indigenous food influences, and the area of East Africa is principally influenced by British, Indian and Islamic food traditions, South Africa is dominated by the influence of the Dutch. As early as ...
West African
WEST AFRICAN Long in touch with Europeans, and the most heavily populated area in Africa, West Africa includes Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Dahomey, Nigeria, Burkinafaso, and Cameroon. West African foods should not he a mystery to Americans, for it is from here that the ...
The Horn of Africa – Ethiopia
THE HORN OF AFRICA The Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean wash the eastern tip of Africa known as the Horn of Africa. In this region lies the legendary ancient lands of Ethiopia and Somalia. THE ETHIOPIANS Ethiopia’s very name conjures exotic visions of the Queen ...
About food and culture in Africa
It must be impertinence or at the very least, a major injustice, to try to fit within a web page, a topic of the world’s 2nd biggest continent, having a human population exceeding beyond 580 million, conversing over 800 different languages, and residing in over 45 nations! Africa’s pure beauty ...